Home
by SweetCee
Summary: She was only supposed to stay until she got better, but then they both realized they needed each other.
1. Danger

**I do not take what is not mine I only borrow it for my own amusement**

**This story takes place a few months after **_**The Dark Knight**_

_We cannot banish dangers, but we can banish fears._

_We must not demean life by standing in awe of death.__  
_**_David Sarnoff_**

Samantha was fearless-no, that wasn't true. She was afraid, but she chose to ignore the fear. She didn't want it to control her like it did her mother. Her mother had been terrified of Gotham since that horrific day, but she didn't know where else to go. She was born and raised here, it is all she knew. She didn't know if she could make it anywhere else. So, she stayed cooped up in their small apartment near the Narrows. Samantha was the provider for just the two of them-working since the day she turned thirteen.

Samantha's mother wasn't always afraid. She used to be a vibrant woman filled with happiness and hope. The fear only set in a few weeks before Samantha's thirteenth birthday. Samantha's father was gunned down in a mob shoot out, just an innocent man in the wrong part of town. Her mother shut down after that. She sat on their ratty couch staring absently at the television until she finally fell asleep. That's how it was until the day she died three years later. Samantha was sixteen. She didn't have any family anywhere, and she ran away-not wanting to end up in the foster care system. That was six months ago.

This night we find Samantha walking aimlessly down the streets of Gotham getting dangerously close to the Narrows-not that it frightened her. Her life couldn't really get any worse. Her dirty blonde hair swirled around her face as the wind started picking up; her blue-gray eyes stared straight ahead not seeing the shadow that was following her. She kept walking looking for a safe place to rest- was there anywhere really safe in Gotham? Then she heard someone calling to her. It was made to sound sweet, but the voice sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.

"Hey little girl," came the shadows voice, "allow me to walk you home, it's not good to walk around these streets alone." Samantha wanted to tell him she had no home to go to. The streets were her home, but she just decided to ignore him instead and keep walking, hoping he would take the hint and leave her alone.

Shouldn't she know by now her life didn't work that way?

She felt him getting closer and she walked faster. He got tired of the game and finally grabbed her arm turning her around to face him.

"Didn't you hear me?" the man asked clearly annoyed now.

"Yes," Samantha stated, "but I rather walk home alone if you don't mind. I don't exactly enjoy company."

"Oh come on, I can be fun. Let me show you." He pulled her close to him. She gasped and struggled in his arms. He tried to control her to no avail. She kicked and screamed and tried to fight him off, but he was too strong. She was more trouble than she seemed, and he didn't want attention to be drawn to them. He pushed her into a wall, her head making contact with the bricks. He walked over to her, but just as he was about to bend down to grab her, he was forcefully pulled away. He looked up to come face to face with none other than Batman, the masked vigilante of Gotham.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be on the run from the cops or something?" The man asked clearly nervous. The Batman just grunted and turned the attention to the girl lying a few feet away. "Oh…uhh…I wasn't going to do anything honest. She..fe-fell and uh…" That was all he could get out before he was thrown into a wall knocking him unconscious. Batman approached Samantha and saw the blood dripping from the big gash in her head. He checked her pulse, and it was weak but steady. He couldn't just leave her there for some other scum to find. So he gently picked her up and decided on taking her to the only place he could think of-Wayne Manor.

**Well that's the first chapter- Yay!! I promise you it will get more eventful. That was just the beginning. So review please. -gives big puppy dog eyes- **


	2. Rough Night

**Here's another chapter for you all. I'm glad you enjoy it. **

Samantha woke up in a huge bed lined with maroon colored sheets. The curtains on her window were pulled tightly shut to block the sunlight from getting through the room.

'Ugh…what happened last night' she though to herself. Well she didn't drink so that ruled out one possibility. She put a hand on her head and could feel a bandage. She winced as last night's events came flooding back to her.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath.

She saw a floor length mirror by the door and slowly got up and walked to it looking at herself. The bandage covered half her forehead and she had purple bruises forming along her arms where the man grabbed her. She was still in her clothes from last night consisting of a pair of faded blue jeans with the hole in the right knee and a gray fitted t-shirt. She suddenly felt underdressed being in a room this size and full of elegant furniture. She walked around the room, arms draped protectively around herself. "Where am I?" she questioned to no one in particular. She knew she should probably figure out that question soon, but her mind didn't seem to be working right. "Must be the bump on the head," she mumbled.

She walked around the room in a trance-like state until she heard the door creek open. She turned around to come face to face with an older gentleman. "Uh…hi," Samantha said nervously to the person who just entered the room, "Where am I?" she asked for the second time. The older man smiled at her before answering.

"You're at Wayne Manor. It seems Master Wayne found you unconscious in the streets and decided to bring you back here…" Before he could say anymore, Samantha cut him off.

"Wait, wait, wait- Wayne Manor as in home to Bruce Wayne…Oh dear God!" She laid on the bed and looked at the ceiling seeming to be in complete shock. "This is…unbelievable."

The man nodded at her statement. He didn't think it was wise of Bruce to bring a stranger into the home, but he agreed that she couldn't just be left out there. "I brought you some pain medication for that nasty gash on your head," The man gave her a gentle smile handing her the pill bottle and a glass of water that she just noticed he had in his hand. She smiled gratefully and took two pills from the bottle and popped them into her mouth, taking a huge gulp of water as well. She sighed.

"Well where is Mr. Wayne?" she asked. To tell the truth she actually didn't like being in his house. While walking on the streets she used to eavesdrop into people's conversations about him. He was the perfect description of a playboy which meant he must also be a complete jackass. She was not looking forward to meeting him even if he did save her life.

What was a man like Bruce doing so close to the Narrows anyways?

"He had to attend to business at Wayne Enterprises, but he told me to call him right away when you woke up."

"Oh…" Something seemed off to Samantha about this whole situation, but her instincts told her to play along.

"Yes, I should do that right now. Do you need anything else Miss…" It suddenly occurred to him he had no idea what this poor girl's name was.

"Samantha, you can call me Samantha."

"And you can call me Alfred." He smiled at her one last time before shutting the door and leaving her to her thoughts. Samantha looked around the room and spotted the bathroom. 'Wow, my own bathroom; this is fancy" she thought. She decided to take a shower since it seemed like she was going to stay there for awhile.

As she was getting ready, her thoughts landed on meeting Mr. Wayne. She was not looking forward to it. She couldn't really deal with a guy whose ego was larger than his house. She sighed and stepped into the warm shower letting her mind rest for now.

* * *

She got out of the shower 20 minutes later feeling refreshed. She looked at her clothes from last night; they would have to do for now-she had nothing else to wear. She got out of the bathroom and stepped into her bedroom. "What to do now…" she said to herself. She decided to explore the house. That would keep her occupied until she had to deal with the playboy. She walked out of her room and walked down the hall toward the staircase. The view was beautiful from up there. A chandelier hung on the high ceiling reflecting light from the sun coming in from the windows. Samantha smiled and continued on her way.

She found her way to a ballroom and walked around it. This was probably where Mr. Wayne would have his parties. She rolled her eyes at that until something caught her eye- a lone piano stood in one of the rooms. She walked up to it cautiously, afraid that it would break if she wasn't careful. She ran her hand along the keys and smiled. She used to play the piano with her mother when she was younger. The memory brought a wave of emotions threw her, and she had to stop herself before she cried. She decided to go check out other parts of the house instead, but when she turned around she came face to face with none other than the owner of the house himself.

**Ooo they finally come face to face. More to come soon. **

**Review please!! **


	3. Contemplations and Conversations

**-gets all teary eyed- awwwww! I'm so happy that you guys love my story, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. **

**This chapter, we get to look into the mind of Samantha, who has some very interesting thoughts when it comes to the playboy which makes for some awkward and comical moments. **

**Get your minds out of the gutter; it's not **_**those**_** kind of thoughts! **

**Well now it's time to give you all the gift of an update. Hooray!! **

To say that Samantha was shocked to see Bruce Wayne standing before her was the understatement of the century. 'Seriously? Here, now? Why me?!' Samantha thought to herself. Her life could not get any worse. She was not in the mood to deal with _him _of all people. After a few minutes Samantha realized she had not said a word to Bruce. 'Great, now he must think I'm mute or something…wait why would I care what he thinks' she sighed. This was going to be tough.

"Are you okay?" Bruce questioned. She looked troubled, and he was wondering if she was having some sort of panic attack.

'Oh yeah I'm fine,' She thought sarcastically, 'Just dandy. I was on my way home yesterday minding my own business when I almost get raped and then I wake up in the home of the man who has a new mistress every single day. He's like a…a…pimp! That's exactly what he is.' All these thoughts were running through Samantha's head, but she ignored them all. He already thought she was weird; let's not make him think she's insane. She settled with a simple, "I'm fine, thanks."

"You had me worried a little there." He stated looking at her uncertainly. "Uhh… do you want some food or something?" The girl looked weary and looked like she was about to pass out.

"Sure." She stated. She finally took notice that she was indeed starving. 'This is not good, not good at all. Why did Bruce Wayne of all people have to find me? I would have settled for a homeless guy…or maybe not.' She came out of her reverie and noticed Bruce was walking away from her, heading toward what she assumed to be the kitchen. She followed silently. "Act Normal Samantha," she muttered to herself.

They arrived at the kitchen, and Bruce turned around to face her. "What do you want to eat?" he asked.

"Anything's fine," she answered. 'What's with the one to three word answers?! He is just some guy who saved her life-a guy who she despised nonetheless. Sure, she didn't know him personally, and he was treating her kindly now, but what about what she read about in the newspapers- his carefree lifestyle and is extravagant parties that he always seemed to get drunk at? Was this more to this man?' She laughed softly. 'No, definitely not.'

* * *

She ate her sandwich in relative silence. She realized that Bruce was staring at her, studying her. It made her a little nervous. "Pervert," she muttered.

"What?" Bruce asked.

"This is good." She covered quickly. She really needed to watch what she said aloud.

"So, Alfred tells me your name is Samantha." Bruce tried to make with casual conversation.

"Yeah," Samantha stated absently.

"That's a pretty name."

"Thanks, just don't try to call me Sam or Sammie or I'll have to hurt you."

"You really think you can take me?" Bruce asked, feigning hurt.

"I think a piece of bread can take you pretty boy," Samantha stated teasingly.

"A piece of bread…really? I happen to think I look fit," He looked at her pointedly, and finally took notice of her injuries- mainly the bandage that he put on her head just last night and the marks left by the man in the alley on her face and arms. A question kept nagging at him in the back of his mind, but he didn't know if he should ask it. He didn't know how she would react, but he needed to know. "So, what were you doing outside the Narrows all alone?" Bruce asked carefully.

Samantha froze. She did not expect that…well she did, just not so soon. She usually would lie about this sort of thing, but he did save her life, so she guessed she should tell him the truth. "I…don't really have any place to go." Samantha sighed and continued "My mom died six months ago and my dad has been dead for six years…actually almost seven." It didn't bother her anymore like it used to. She didn't cry, she didn't do anything. It was in the past where it would remain forever.

Bruce face softened. He remembered his own parents' murder like it happened yesterday.

"I know what that's like." He gave her a sympathetic smile and to her surprise, she smiled back. "You can stay here until you feel better…as long as you like actually."

"Thanks," she said softy although she didn't plan on staying long. Even though she was fine with Bruce now, she couldn't handle his lifestyle, and she didn't think it was wise for him to have a teenager to look after. It might weigh him down. She hated to be a bother.

Little did she know just how wrong she was.

**Bonding moments make me smile. I hope you all enjoyed that roller coaster of a chapter. **

**Keep on reviewing. **


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